Incubator



Sit-:ito 7 1926.,

Q Y. MAKE: 1598681 NGUBATOR Filed July 9. 1925 2 shams-sheet 1 wxTNEssEs @l lNvENToR ATTORNEYS Sept. 7 1926.

C. Y. HAKE INCUBATOR Filed July 9.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR C: /:ZZ/e) ATTORNEYS vIl() Patented Sept. 7, 1926.

CHARLES Y. HAKE, OF YRK, PENNSYLVANIA.

INCUBATOR.

Appiicanon mea July e, 1925. serian No. 42,567.

My invention relates to improvements in inculmtors 'ot that type which includes a tray removably supported within a casing having a plurality of rollers for snpgjiorting eggs within the case in proximity toa source of heat,

The invention consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed and contemplates the provision ot' a novel means for transmitting motion to the rollers ot the tray when desired when the tray is in place within the case.

A further object ot the invention is the provision in an incubator of the class described of means adapted to be actuated at the outer side ot the incubator case to cause turning ot the rollers o'l' the tray within the case when desired without causing any obstruction to be placed in the iront part of the incubator case which might tend to cause injury to the chicks within the lower part ot the incubator case when a tray is with drawn from the incubator case' at the back of the latter.` f

A still further object ot the invention is the provision in an incubator of the charac ter described oii-atray having rollers for supporting eggs and having motion transmitting means on the opposite end portions ot the rollers adapted to engage with cooperatingil means on a bar which is slidable through the rear part ot the incubator chamber transversely of the incubator chamber, the motion transmitting elements on the ends of the rollers at the inner end of the tray being adapted to beautomatically moved into engagement with the cooperating ele- .n'ients on the slidable bar when the roller tray is moved longitudinally in a horizontal plane to position within t-he incubator chamber, no tilting ot the inner end of the roller tray being necessary to insure engagement of the motion transmitting means on the rollers with the cooperating elements on the barf tor turning` the rollers when the roller tray is pushed to position in the incubator compartment and. the roller tray beingl horizontally disposed at all times.

Other objects and advantages ot the invention will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the acconipanyingdra-wings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of an incubator casing su'tlicient to show an incubator compartment within the casing for the reception of a roller tray and such other trays may be used in connection with the hatching ot chicks, a portion of the side wall, et' the compartment being broken away to show a roller tray within the compartment.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the structure exhibited in Figure l, showing in full lines the roller tray within thel incubator compartment and showingin dash lines a fragmentary portion of the tray partially withdrawn from position in the incubator compartment,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the roller tray omitted and with a screen bottomed hatching tray in place within the incubator compartment7 Figure 4: is a perspective view of the roller trai',

Figure 5 is a perspective view ot the hatchine` tray,

Figure 6 is a vertical section through an end portion ot a roller and through a bar tor turning the rollers, showing' `in elevation a bevel gear on the roller in mesh with inclined teeth on the bar, and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary vertical section substantially along the line 7 7 oit Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

An incubator to be equipped with the invention may have a case which may comprise a top l, a back wall 2, a bottom 3, and such vertical side walls 4 as may be required to ldivide the space within the case transversely to produce within the case one or more incubating compartments, suoli indicated at 5r. fr door 6 is swingingly attached to a stationary portion otl the case, as for example at its lower edge by a hinge or hinges such as indicated at 7, there being a door '6 ior each incubator compartment 5. Each door 6 is swing-abile to and from position to close the associated incubator compartment 5 at the front of the latter.

A pair of horizontal supporting strips 8 are provided for4 each compartment 5, the respective supporting strips 8 being secured by fastening devices 9 to the side walls 4l of the compartment so that the upper edges ot the casing are in the same horizontal plaine, which is located intermediate the height ot the incubator compartment. 4The strips 8 exten-d for substantially the full length ot the side walls l but terminate at their forward ends slightly short oit the tori ward ends lof the side walls 4 and against vertical strips 10 which are'secured by fastcning devices 11 to the side walls 4 and have the upper end portions thereof, as at 12, extending above the plane ofthe upper edges of the horizontal supporting strips.

The side walls 4 are provided with aligned openings 13 which are located adjacent to the rearward ends of the side walls 4. The openings 13 extend above the level of the upper edges ot the supporting strips and suitable slots or openings may be provided in the strips, as at 14 in Figure 2 to permit a rack bar 15 to be slid through the openings 13 and the slots or openings 14 in the strips 8 transversely across the rearward part of the incubator compartment 5. The upper edge portion of the rack bar 15 extends above the plane of the upper edges of the supporting strips 8 and is formed with teeth 16 which are inclined downwardly and forwardly.

A roller tray for supporting eggs within the compartment 5 in proximity to a source of heat, which may be the spaced steam pipes 17 in the upper part of the compartment 5, is shown to advantage in Figure 4 and is generally designated 18. The tray 18 may comprise a pair of side members 19 and a pair oli spaced parallel end members 20 which connect the side members 19 and hold the latter in spaced parallel position. A plurality of rollers 21 are disposed in spaced parallel relation to one another between the end members 2O and may have journal portions, as at 22, at the opposite ends supported in bearings on the end members 20 of the roller tray. Bevel gears 23 are secured on opposite end portions of each roller 21 and the journal portions 22 hereinbefore mentioned may be integral with the bevel gears as :shown in Figure 6. The teeth on each bevel gear 23 are inclined to be complemental to the teeth on the rack bar 15. The width of the roller tray 18 is slightly less than that of the compartment 5 so that the roller tray is adapted to be extended through the open end of the compartment 5 when the door 6 thereof is open to and from position to slide on the supporting strips 8 to the position shown by the full lines in'Fig. 2, the tray 18 sliding on the upper edges ot the strips 8 and the bevel gears 23 at'the inner end of the tray moving into position to engage the teeth on the rack bar 15 as the tray is moved from the dotted line position of Figure 2 inwardly of the compartment along the strips 8 to the full line position of Figure 2. It is not necessary that the inner end of the tray 18 be tilted in order to insure engagement ofthe gears at the inner end of theA rollers with the teeth of the rack bar 15 since the complementary beveling of the teeth of the rack bar and the associated gears onv the rollers permits the tray 18 to be slid horizontally on the strips 8 until the gears 23 at the inner ends of the roller tray are in mesh with the teeth on the transversely extending rack barl 15. When the tray is in this position, the extending upper end portions 12 ofthe strips 10 will enter notches 24 in the side members 19 of the tray 18 adjacent to opposite end portions of the side members and yatv the lower edges of the side` members. YThe engagement of the extend-- ing end portions 12 of .the vertical strips 10 will positively prevent retrograde movement of the tray from the position shown by the full lines in Figure 2 and since the tray will remain horizontal and rest on the horizontal strips 8, it will be lirmly supported within the-compartment 5 with all eggs (not'shown) which may rest on the rollers equi-distant from the steam pipes 17 in the upper lpart of the compartment 5. The notches 24 are provided in the lower edges of the side members 19 adjacent to the opposite ends of the latter and since the bevel gears 23 are provided on opposite ends of the rollers 21 it will be manifest that the tray may be reversed end-for end when desired since it is immaterial which of the opposite ends of the tray is inserted lirst through the opening at the front of the compartment 5 when the tray is slid on the supporting strips 8 to position within the compartment 5.

It is also to be observed at this point that the width oi the toothed upper portion of the rack bar 15 is considerably greater than that of` the toothed portion of each of the associated bevel gears 23 so that longitudinal movement of the tray or such lateral warping or bending of the rack bar as are likely to take place accidentally or as a result of variations of temperature when the device is inuse will not result in the teeth of the associated bevel gears and rack bar moving out of engagement with each other.

The operation of an incubator of the type partially illustrated in Figure 1 is substantially as follows: The eggs are placed on the rollers 21 and the rollers are actuated each day by means of the roller turning rack bar until the-period of incubation has nearly expired or in other words until about the 18th day after the eggs were placed on the rollers. The roller tray with the eggs thereon then is withdrawn from the incubator compartment 5 and the eggs are placed on the foraminous bottom 25 of a hatching tray, indicated generally at 26. The hatching tray 26 has side members 27 and end members 28 similar to the side members 19 and the end members 2O respectively, of the roller tray, and may be 4slid on the supporting strips 8 to and from position within the incubator chamber. The hatching tray is shown in position within the incubator compartment in Figure 3 and the side membersl0 at the outer ends of the stripS.

27 have notches'in their lower edges adjacent to the outer ends of the side members as -indicated at 29 for engaging with the extending upper end portions l2 of the strips The foraminous bottom 25 terminates short of the outer end of the tray 26, leaving an opening indicated at 30. In practice, they chicksr remain on the foraminous bottom 25 of the hatching tray after they have been .hatched for a time sufficient to permit them to be dried and the opening 3() at that time is closed by a removable cover, not shown. The chicks then move forward on the bottom of the hatching tra-y 26 and after the cover hasbeen removed from the opening 30, the chicks drop through the opening linto a. nursery tray 3l vwhich is disposed on the bottom of the compartment 5. An objectionable feature of incubators making use of a roller tray provided prior to the present invention has been that the chicks in the nursery tray can extend their heads up through the opening 30 between the rear edge of the latter and the usual roller turning bar at the forward end of the incubator compartment Vand 'therefore extreme' care has had to be exercised when removing the hatching tray through the opening at the front of the incubator chamber 5 to prevent injury to 'the chicks in the nursery tray because of the heads of the chicks-being caught between the forward edge of the opening 3() of 'the hatching tray and the usual roller turning bar in the front part of the incubator compartment. This objectionable feature is obviated when my improved roller` tray and roller actuating or turning means are provided in an incubator of the character described since there is no obstruction in advance' of the rear edge of the opening 30 of the hatching' tray against which the heads of the chicks within the tray can be liammed when 'the hatching tray is removed from the vincubatorcom'partm'ent. Moreover, the roller trays of the present invention can be slid when disposed substantially latwise on the upper edges of the supporting strip S to position to cause engagement of the bevel gears 23 at the inner end of the roller tray with the teeth on the roller turning bar and it is not necessary to tilt one end of the roller tray to insure engaging of `gears on the rollers with teeth on a roller turning bar, as has been necessary prior to the present invention. It is not essential te the operation of the device that the teeth on the bevel gears mesh exactly with t-he teeth on the rack bar. The bevel gears at the inner end of the roller tray will rest on the toothed face of the rack bar and it has been found in actual practice that the engagement of the teeth on the straight rack bar 1,5 with the teeth on the bevel gears 23 vfhich rest on that rack bar will be sufficiently intimate and positive, to assure turning of the rollers in a substantially smooth and uniform manner when the rack bar is moved longitudinally. Consequently, the eggs which rest on the rollers will be disposed in the same plane and therefore equidistant from the source of heat, such as the steam pipes 17, which may be located in a higher horizontal plane within the incubator compartment. ilso, it is not necessary to provide means for .supporting thev end of the roller tray that has the gears in engagement with teeth of the roller turning bar to prevent undue friction and to prevent accidental displacenient of the roller tray in the incubator compartment, as has been usual prior to my invention and should the roller turning bar be warped laterally, as is likely to occur when the same roller turning bar extends through a plurality of juxtaposed incubator compartments for actuating the rollers within all of said compartments at the same time, the roller turning bar of the present *invention will not disengage the gears on the lrollers since the cooperating teeth on the gears and on the rack bar are con'iplementarily inclined and moreover the rack bar is wider than the toothed portion of each ofthe gears with which it is associated.

Obviously, my invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that'illustrated lin the accompanying drawing, and l therefore consider as my own all such modifications and adaptations of the form of the device herein described as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

l. In an incubator having an incubator compartment formed with an opening at its forward end Vand having means for remov ably supporting a tray within the incubator con'ipartment,` said tray being movable through the opening at the forward end of the compartment to and from position to be supported within said incubator compartment, bevel gears on the rollers adjacent to the inner end of the tray when said tray .is in said incubator compartment, and a rack bar movable longitudinally and extending transversely across said incubator compart ment with the teeth on the rack bar in mesh with said bevel gears, whereby said gears and said rollers may be turned in unison.

2. In an incubator, a compartment having a pair of vertical side walls, said compa-rtment having an opening at the front thereof, a pair of supporting strips secured on the inner faces of said side walls and extending longitudinally of said compartment, a rack bar extending slidably across the rear part of said compartment, a tray movable through the openingl at the forward end of the compartment and slidable on said supporting strips to and from position to be complete ly disposedewithin said compartment, said tray having' a bottom formed of longitudinally extending parallel rollers, and gears on the inner ends of said rollers in position to engage with the teeth on said rack bar when saidtray is moved slidably on said supporting strips to position in'said compartment, whereby longitudinal movement of said rack bar will cause turning movement of said rollers in unison, the teeth on said rollers and on said rack bar being comple* mentar-ily inclined so that the teeth on the rollers will mesh with the teeth on said rack bar when said tray isslid on said supporting strips to position within said incubator compartment. n

3. In an incubator, a compartment having a pair of vertical side walls, said compart-y ment having an opening` at the front thereof, a pair of supporting strips secured on the inner faces of said side walls and extending longitudinally of said compartment, a rack bar extending slidably across the rearpart of said compartment, a 'tray movable through the opening at the forward end of the compartment and slidable on said supporting strips to and from position to be completely disposed within said compartment, said tray having a bottom formed of longitudinally extending parallel rollers, and

gears on the innerk ends of said rollers in position to engage with the teeth on' said rack bar when said tray is moved slidably on said supporting strips to position in said compartment, whereby longitudinal movement of said rack bar will cause turning movement of said rollers in unison, the teeth on said rollers and on said rack bar being complementarily inclined so that the teeth on the rollerswill mesh with the teeth on said rack bar when said tray is 'slid on said supporting strips to position Within said in-y cubator compartment, therwidth of said rack bar being greater than that of said rollers.

et. In an incubator, a compartment having a pair of'vertica'l side Walls, said compartment having an opening at the front thereof, a pair of supporting strips secured on the inner faces lof said side walls and extending longitudinally of said compartment, a rack bar extending slidably across the rear part of said compartment, a tray movable through the opening at the forward end 'of the compartment and slidable on said `'supporting strips to and from position to be completely disposed Within said compartment, said tray having a bottom formed of longitudinally extending'parallel rollers, and gears on the inner ends of `said rollers in positionto engage with the teeth on said rack bar When said tray is moved slidably on said supporting strips to position in said compartment,y

whereby longitudinal movement of said rack bar will cause turning movement of said rollers in unison, the teeth onsaid rollers and on said rack bar being complementarily inclined so that the teeth on the rollers will mesh with the teeth on said rack bar when said tray is slid onV said supporting strips to position within said incubator compartment, and vertical strips on the side walls of said incubator compartment at the outer ends of said supporting strips, said vertical strips having portions extending above the upper edges of said supporting strips, said tray having notehesin the lower'edges of side members thereof adjacent to the outer ends of the side members of the tray for engaging with the extending upper end portions of said vertical strips when said tray is in place in said incubator compartment 4to prevent accidental longitudinal movement of said tray toward the forward end of said incubator compartment.

5. In an incubator, rotary elements, gears associated with the rotary elements for turning said rotary elements, and a rack bar having inclined transverse teeth for engaging with and actuating said Gears.

oHARLEs Y. Hama. 

